This invention relates to camera holding apparatus.
Professional and serious amateur photographers often require camera-holding devices which permit rotation of rectangular format cameras from a horizontal position to a vertical position without requiring the photographer to change the position of the handles on the device. This is useful, for example, where the device also holds a flash unit that must remain above the camera in both its horizontal and vertical orientations. This is also useful for a camera-holding device described in my earlier patent application Ser. No. 629,531 filed Nov. 6, 1975, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,104,623, wherein the photographer can hold the apparatus in the palm of one hand while the fingers of that hand also grasp the lens barrel of the camera to focus the camera, and wherein the lens barrel should not undergo a great change in position during rotation of the camera. The simplest way of pivoting the camera on a frame is to construct the camera mount with a bearing behind the camera axis that rotates on the frame. However, such an arrangement would prevent opening of the rear of the camera for changing backs containing different film types or to replace a roll of film while the camera is still on the apparatus. Considerable ingenuity has been employed in devising an apparatus which will permit rotation of the camera about its lens axis without obstructing the rear of the camera. For example, one device utilizes a large ring within which the front portion of the camera rotates about its axis, and with the ring carrying handles and a flash unit. However, such a ring structure is heavy and awkward. A relatively simple and compact camera holding apparatus which enabled a 90.degree. rotation of a camera about a substantially fixed axis with respect to the frame, without obstructing the back of the camera, would be useful to serious photographers.